Ditch the Yoga Pants, Embrace the House Dress

Ditch the yoga pants and try a vintage-inspired house dress instead. This simple act can help you feel more productive and put together, plus vintage clothing is so much fun.

Yoga pants and leggings seem to be the uniform of housewives these days. For years I also wore yoga pants most days. They are comfortable and when you are at home it can be easy to just focus on that.

The last couple of years, however, I have been getting more into a vintage lifestyle including the fashion. I’ve always been interested in the idea of the 1950’s housewife and loved the fashion. It was only in the last several years that I found that a lot of people still dress like this. That sparked my desire to wear more vintage clothing and vintage-inspired clothing.

From Yoga Pants to House Dress

At first, the idea of staying in your PJs all day sounds amazing. But pretty soon you can start to feel like a frumpy housewife. Many women find that when they stay at home full time that they lose themselves.

One thing that can help keep that from happening is to ditch the yoga pants and get dressed each morning. If you still want to be comfy consider a house dress instead of stiff jeans.

House dresses have been around for generations. Typically they have been simple dresses worn while doing chores or for quick errands. They were made of washable fabrics and were designed to be very practical.

My favorite house dresses are those from the 1950’s. During that time the house dress started to become more stylish. The shirtwaist style was a very popular house dress. They were easy to put on and to wear all day comfortably.

Wrap style dresses have also been popular house dresses. And really any style that you find comfortable is perfect for a house dress. It should just be easy to clean and comfortable to wear while doing chores.

If the vintage clothing style of house dresses appeals to you there are some great vintage clothing stores to check out. Many carry the more casual types of dresses as well as some beautiful dresses for special occasions. I do recommend looking for cotton, lightweight dresses for everyday wear.

Vintage-Inspired Clothing Stores

One of the first stores I started buying vintage-inspired clothing from is ModCloth. I have loved ModCloth for a few years now. They have a wide range of styles some more modern but also a lot of great vintage-inspired styles. They also used models of all sizes and didn’t use photoshop. I had grown to really love what they stood for.

When I shared this news on my Facebook page the reaction was overwhelmingly disappointment and anger. I had been planning to share a post like this before the ModCloth news broke but seeing the reaction to this news I knew I needed to share it sooner rather than later.

People are looking for ModCloth alternatives now and thankfully there are many out there. While I still have hope that this ModCloth thing will work out I fear this is the end of the ModCloth we knew and loved.

*Update: So far ModCloth has seemed to stay the same. I’m still buying from them for now but these other stores are also great options.

Other Vintage-Inspired Clothing & Vintage Clothing Stores

Amazon has a surprisingly large number of vintage-inspired dresses. This is often where I get my more affordable, everyday dresses. They also have a good selection of my favorite circle skirt brand, Hell Bunny. Lindy Bop is another brand to change out on Amazon.

Le Bomb Shop is one of the first vintage inspired clothing stores I started shopping from. They have very affordable cotton dresses that are perfect for house dresses. I really like the sundresses they carry, a lot of them are even made in the USA.

eShakti is where I go for my nicer dresses in general. They aren’t terribly cheap but you can usually get a good coupon code. I love eShakti because all of their dresses and skirts have pockets, you give them your height so everything hits you at the right place and you can customize them. Their cotton knit dresses are my favorites. They are perfect for travel because they don’t wrinkle very easily.

Doll Me Up is one of my more recent finds. They have really good prices and carry a lot of the same brands ModCloth does. You can also save 10% off your first order if you sign up for their newsletter. I have made an exchange and customer service was great!

Heart of Hauteis a really great brand that is made in the USA. I haven’t purchased any of their skirts or dresses yet but several are on my wish list. I have purchased a few tops from them and they are my favorites. They are extremely high quality and I feel like they will last me many years.

Trashy Diva is another brand I have on many pieces from on my wish list. They started in New Orleans and now have a huge following of very devote fans. I will say all of their pieces are dry clean only so not likely the best house dress option but great for your more dressy, special occasion dresses.

Unique Vintagecarries a wide range of brands and styles. They have a lot of great casual dresses that are good for everyday wear. You will also find a great selection of cocktail dresses if you are looking for something for a special occasion.

Pinup Girl Clothinghas a lot of unique pieces and also a wide range of made in the USA brands. During one of their big sales, I bought a beautiful circle skirt on the site in my goal size. I haven’t quite made it to that size but it’s hanging in my closet as motivation to workout instead of eating a cookie!

If you don’t want shop try Le Tote for clothing rental, you can also buy the clothes. Or get your own personal stylist and clothes delivered to your house for you to try with Stitch Fix.

You can also find true vintage pieces and vintage clothing pieces on Etsy. It’s a good way to find a good deal if you are willing to do a bit of hunting.

Whether the vintage clothing style house dresses appeal to you or not, getting dressed in the morning and getting ready for your day can really change your attitude for the better. It’s also important to do this for yourself. While it’s nice to look good for your partner and others around you, it’s most important that you are doing it for yourself.

Are you more of a yoga pants girl or does the idea of a house dress sound appealing? Let me know in the comments. And if you have other vintage inspired brands you like, share those as well!

Good afternoon! I was so happy to see this today! Sometimes I feel like I am the only person that feels this way, about dressing ones self 😉 I have been purchasing my nice “out to town” and “church” dresses from JcPenny, I haven’t been able to find a good quality, well fitting work/house dress though. I recently purchased a1940’s house dress pattern online and can’t wait to get it in the mail and start sewing! 🙂

I absolutely love this. I wear pajamas nearly everyday and I do feel so frumpy and unkempt. When I do get dresses my kids always say “why did you get dressed, mom? Are we going somewhere?” We leave the house only about 3-4 times during the week (we homeschool and I work from home). I can’t wait to try this out. Thanks for the inspiration!

Ok I love this post. I genuinely think this is possibly my favourite post winner, but I have a problem.. I love the 1950s era, fashion especially, but the reason I have never ‘gone for it’ is because I hate my legs, and I don’t just mean in a vague vanity kind of way, although that is part of it. They have an awful mottled complexion, the pores are red and pronounced, so I don’t wear dresses as I can not be doing with having to wear tights to hide my legs.

You have to love your kegs to wear a dress, so I live in cotton, shapeless baggy trousers so that they fit my enormous hips. Sad times.

While I’m all about positive body image and encourage you to work up to embracing your legs, I also understand. Have you tried stockings? I wear stockings when it’s not warm but they are quite thin so they could be warn in warmer weather as well. I also find them more comfortable than tights and panty hose.

Another option if you want the vintage look, there are super cute pants from the 40’s that are wide leg.

Okay, yes! I stay home during the week and wait tables on the weekends. I started doing this about 8 months ago. I just got into really getting myself together early rather than after noon. I wear cute dresses and an apron everyday now and love it. I’m so much more productive and I’m always looking cute so I’m not afraid to answer the door or run to the store super fast when I realize I’m out of something. It is a good life! Loving this blog!

You are speaking my language! I have told my husband on numerous occasions that I’m going to bring back the dress as an everyday item. I wear classic skirts or dresses most days, and I’ve received compliments from strangers on how elegant I look. I’m also a huge fan of retro aprons, and nothing gives me greater pleasure than cooking for my family in a dress with a retro apron over it. (<– I should point out that I work full-time and consider myself a feminist, and my wardrobe preferences are not about keeping women in the kitchen).

If it helps, I wash all of my Trashy Diva pieces. Some by hand, but mostly on gentle with woolite. Maybe not house dresses, but great day dresses for when you are out and about.
Getting dressed always lifts my mood!

I just found this and love it ! But I am curious what type of shoes to wear all day for the stay at home retired person – love the idea of the day dress – Does anyone know if there are flats that would have the support of asics or new balance – I have to have this. Thank you

I absolutely love this idea! I also have found the temptation of spending all day home in my PJ’s all too appealing in the past. I now have several casual dresses and skirts that make up my stay-at-home “uniform”. I find that I’m much more productive during the day if I start out fully dressed, etc.

I hope I’m not too late to comment on this post. I see the value in getting out of yoga pants into something more intentional. So, what shoes do you ladies wear with your dresses? I only saw one reply to a previous post about shoes. Going barefoot is not an option for me. Walking on hardwood floors all day kills my feet. And heels or dress shoes like I imagine were actually worn in the 1950s is also out! Would love to hear from you all!

I just found this. During the summer, it’s easy for me to wear skirts and dresses—they are cooler than pants. However, in winter while we’re at home, jeans are warmer. I do still wear wool and corduroy dresses/skirts to church (although some women’s wear pants or even sweats or yoga pants). Any suggestions for dressing warmly (we keep our house cool)?

I’ve always thought of jeans as cold. I wear tights and leggings with skirts. Fleece lined leggings are so warm! I wear them with knee length knit or denim skirts–very comfortable and easy. We’ve always kept our house cool and my daughters now raising their own children do too.

I’m so much more productive in a house dress than yoga pants. Not only that, dresses with cotton clean up great but my yoga pants catch all the animal hair and such and can’t get it out. Also makes me feel more presentable if I have to step out or answer the door.

All very good points! I used to live in the middle of nowhere and people didn’t just show up. Now I live in town and people just randomly come to the door so it’s really nice to be wearing real clothes, ha.

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Welcome to my blog! My name is Lisa and I'm the Retro Housewife trying to live a greener life. I share my love of all things vintage, homemaking and green living here on the blog. To read more, click here.